South Mumbai Traffic Nightmare Today: Road Closures, Parking Bans For Indo-French Summit
Thousands of office-goers and daily commuters heading to South Mumbai on Tuesday, February 17, are likely to endure long delays and last-mile hardship as extensive security restrictions around the Gateway of India for the IndiaFrance Year of Innovation programme disrupt normal movement across Colaba and Fort. With the Prime Minister of India and the President of France visiting the city, police will enforce strict security arrangements. From 2:00 pm to 9:00 pm, regular vehicles will not be allowed in the Gateway precinct only emergency, essential service and VVIP vehicles will be permitted. Commuters to walk long distances Key roads leading to offices and ferry points including Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Road, P. Ramchandani Road, B. K. Boman Behram Road, Adam Street and Mahakavi Bhushan Road will be closed. Taxi stands and bus stops near the waterfront will also remain shut, forcing passengers to get down far away and walk to workplaces, hotels and jetties. Residents too may have to park at distant locations and cross barricaded zones on foot. Traffic diversions via Shahid Bhagat Singh Road, Electric House Junction and BEST Marg are expected to create bottlenecks at Regal Junction, Radio Club and surrounding intersections, especially during evening peak hours. Parking ban to worsen chaos Parking will be prohibited on Nathalal Parekh Marg, Jagannath Bhosale Marg, Captain Prakash Pethe Marg, Rambhau Salgaonkar Marg and roads behind the Taj Hotel. In addition, Rambhau Salgaonkar Marg will temporarily operate as a two-way road between 1:00 pm and 4:00 pm, likely choking already narrow internal lanes and delaying residents trying to reach homes. Office-hour rush worst affected Evening commuters are expected to face the maximum disruption, with travel time across South Mumbai projected to rise sharply due to road closures, diversions and pedestrian congestion The impact will extend beyond South Mumbai as well heavy motor vehicles will be banned from 8:00 am to 9:00 pm on the Western Express Highway between Vakola Flyover and Dahisar Toll Naka, potentially affecting city-wide traffic flow. Traffic police have urged citizens to avoid the Gateway of India area and plan journeys in advance, but for many office-goers, Tuesday may still mean crowded roads, longer walks and significantly delayed commutes.
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